A year following the legalization of cannabis cultivation in Morocco, the Interior Ministry decided to reduce the surface area dedicated to cannabis cultivation in 2023, to 29,557 hectares.
This came in a recently-published report by the ministry for the fiscal year 2023.
The lands allocated to cannabis cultivation prior to its legalization in 2003 were roughly 134,000 hectares, but saw a 77% drop under Morocco’s strategy to combat illegal drug trafficking and diversion.
The Interior Ministry emphasized its commitment to executing the national strategy against drug trafficking, as it intensifies its efforts to curtail the supply and limit areas marked for cannabis cultivation. The ministry is actively engaged in the fight against drug promotion and trafficking, with a particular focus on illicit international networks controlling supply and demand.
Morocco has been reducing the surface area of lands allocated to cannabis cultivation since 2005.
This cultivation remains a primary source of livelihood for approximately 90,000 families in the rural and northern regions.